One of Tufts' two sketch comedy groups, The Institute Sketch Comedy (The Institute), performed their first show of the semester, "Joaquin on Sunshine," this past Friday in front of a full house in Braker 001.
Currently headed by seniors Elliot Cobb and Elaine Bledsoe, as well as Jehan Madhani, a fifth-year dual degree student, The Institute is different from the other Tufts sketch comedy group, Major: Undecided, in that The Institute only takes a small number of applicants, according to Cobb. Out of the 70 people -- double last year's number -- who auditioned to join the group this year, only three new members won a space among the 15 existing members.
“That’s one thing that makes The Institute really great," Cobb said. "We’re small enough where we can improvise things, or edit -- we do a lot of group editing ... The other sketch group, Major: Undecided -- they’re a lot better at other things. I just walked in [to Major: Undecided] as a freshman and was able to be in the show, so I think it’s a really valuable thing for Tufts to have, but in The Institute, [there’s a] sort of freedom we have by working with a small group.”
According to Cobb, the group has come a long way since its formation in 2006, when a handful of friends were just “palling around,” as it has now become a prominent fixture in the Tufts' comedy scene. Last January, the group was invited to the ComFest, Skidmore College's National College Comedy Festival, marking the first time The Institute had been granted an invitation.
Members of The Institute participate as actors, writers or work in video production, Cobb explained. Though eight actors perform in shows consistently, other group members often take small roles, and all members collaborate during the writing and editing processes.
“For this show, we’d get together in a meeting, and everyone would go around and all read the sketches that we wrote, and they would come from a lot of different places," Cobb said. "And then from there, after we vote on the sketches, I go and decide which actors are going to play which roles.”
Junior John Merfeld added that the roles students are credited with often do not describe all their contributions to Institute shows.
“One of my favorite things about show week with the ‘Tute is how everyone steps up to put the production together,” Merfeld said. “If you [ask] someone what they do in the group, they might answer, ‘I'm a writer,’ but if they were being totally honest, they'd say, ‘Well, I wrote a sketch and helped edit some other ones and filled in to act in a video and made some props and helped run lights and ran to Halligan half an hour before the show to print the Tufts Today jokes.’ And they volunteered for all that. Everyone's extremely generous with their time and talent.”
Merfeld added that Institute members are extremely dedicated to their projects.
“We never stop editing," he said. "Everyone in the group is constantly thinking of funny ideas. So after over a week of writing and rehearsal, every moment in a sketch has been scrutinized and enhanced, and what the audience sees onstage is really memorable because of that attention to detail.”
For this past show, The Institute performed a range of sketches, including a Karaoke sing-off, a “Mad Libs”-inspired sketch and an uproarious news segment.
“In the past, all of our shows have followed the format where we have three videos, and three live sketches, a news segment and that’s it,” Cobb said. “And that’s been all of our shows -- three shows a semester -- since 2006 pretty much."
Not all performances include traditional skits, however; two years ago -- and again last spring -- The Institute wrote, rehearsed and performed a musical in a matter of three weeks. Cobb said the group is considering performing more musicals, among other types of shows.
"It was a lot of fun and really stressful," Cobb said. "Writing one thing together is a lot harder than having a bunch of people’s individual ideas get put together in one show, but it’s a really fun project, and it’s a lot of teamwork. We might do another musical this year. I know people really like doing it, and the crowd has loved it these past years.”
As the newly-elected executive producer of The Institute, Cobb, with the aid of Bledsoe and Madhani, helps manage the club and plays a role in developing sketches.
“Mostly, I’m at every rehearsal, giving notes on the sketches," Cobb said. "Usually the best thing to do is let the actors do what they want to. Rehearsals are really fun, because everyone’s improvising ... Most of the good ideas come from the actors themselves and not from the directors.”
Cobb joined the group in his sophomore year, but didn’t envision himself as a comedian before coming to college. He has since participated in the Tufts Stand Up Comedy Collective, Major: Undecided and The Institute.
“All I did my whole life was play sports," he said. "I had never done comedy before and now that’s my main thing ... For standup, it’s nerve wracking, because you’re going up there and it’s like ‘Hey, that’s Elliot Cobb, he’s on stage right now trying to be funny. Let’s see how funny he is.’ But -- [and] I know comedians love this -- when you go into a situation where there’s no pressure to be funny, and you are, people think it’s amazing."
Gregory Lehrhoff, a sophomore who recently joined The Institute, said working with the group has been a valuable experience.
“Honestly, it's hard to grasp the true power of The Institute until you're in front of a room filled with strangers who are doubled over in laughter at your antics, at the silly things you and your friends came up with. And I do mean my friends; in fact, the members of The Institute have become my closest friends in all of about one month. They've treated me as if I've always been a part of the group. I don't know how or why The Institute chose to bestow this privilege on me, but I'm not complaining, just laughing along.”
The Institute’s next show is on Nov. 13 in the Sophia Gordon Multipurpose Room.
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